Rewards Now, Rewards Later

Imagine telling a first-grader, “Listen to your teachers and do your homework, and when you grow up you’ll be able to get a good job.” 

Of course we don’t say that. Being a grown-up is so far away; getting a good job can’t be the child’s primary goal. He has to experience the joy of learning and the satisfaction of reaching smaller goals first. So throughout his school years, we let him experience those with each little accomplishment. Only after many years of schooling can he be guided toward using his God-given talents for a particular field of work. 

In last week’s reflection I cited Matthew 7:13-14: “...How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life…” I pointed out that Christ promises that following His Way is the way to eternal life. A couple of people asked: Is our primary goal getting to heaven? Don’t we get rewarded here, too? Isn’t there value in imitating Christ simply because doing so makes our life and our world better?

Yes, we do get rewarded now. God designed us to get a good feeling when we show love to others, whether it’s by giving a special gift, sharing our time, offering a random act of kindness or kind word, or doing any other kind deed. These actions also strengthen our relationships and make our world better. Like the student who experiences rewards for working hard, so do we experience rewards for imitating Christ throughout our life. 

We’ll get rewarded later, too. We look ahead to Christ’s promise of unending joy with Him in eternal life. Most of us are familiar with this verse:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Most of us consider eternal life as life with God in heaven. We know that God is love, so maybe heaven is less of a location and more of a state of being. When we love others through our words and actions, we’re showing God to them. We’re bringing heaven to them. We’re bringing heaven to earth. Christ offers us life after we pass away, and also makes it possible that our life here on earth could be full of His love, His peace, and His joy: 

“I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

So, yes, our rewards come both now and later. Think of it this way: Loving in this life is kind of like practice for eternity. Our thoughts, words, and actions become who we are. When we’re absorbed in loving others, when our thoughts, words, and actions are rooted in Love, then we experience heaven here and now. We then take who we are with us and continue to be absorbed by Love for eternity.

“Lord, let me grasp every opportunity to bring heaven to earth.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...